Review ALL FOR METAL “Gods of Metal (Year of the Dragon)”

If you fuse the battle hymn approach of bands like Manowar with melodic metal a la Rhapsody Of Fire and the “evil” image of Lordi, you get an idea of what you can expect from All For Metal.

The German/Italian joint venture released their debut album “Legends” in 2023 and with “Gods of Metal (Year of the Dragon)” the sophomore album is waiting in the starting blocks.

Well, humbleness has never been the main characteristic of All For Metal, which is already reflected in the name. And if we are facing the gods of metal is another question that needs to be answered individually.

What we can say, however, is that the second album contains songs with a level of catchiness that is hard to resist. Sugar-sweet melodies like in “The Way of the Samurai” are a dentist’s joy. The album follows a standard formula, with “Path of the Brave” being a heroic ballad and the pounding title track being a real metal stomper. Equipped with some narrative moments, the melodies crawl into your subconscious. The stamina of living every cliche on this album is impressive.

These songs describe the framework of “Gods of Metal (Year of the Dragon)”. Listening to this album isn’t a challenge that causes earaches. These songs reflect well-produced traditional heavy metal and yet don’t bring anything new to the table. No doubt, the catchiness and the pounding beat are addictive like sugar, but whether these songs can satisfy your hunger for metal is another story. What works in the moment has too little impact and when the last note fades away the desire for something new is present.